Researchers at Bar-Ilan University have unveiled a new therapeutic approach in the fight against hematological cancer.
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Hematological cancer begins in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, or in the cells of the immune system. Examples of hematologic cancer are leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
The new method, developed by Professor Mira Barda-Saad and her research team at the Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, involves attacking the cytoskeleton protein, called WASp, which has a unique structural condition in active hematological cancer cells.
The team focused on the destruction of WASp in malignant cells and demonstrated that degradation of WASp helps to destroy them. Their research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
To date, the involvement of WASp in cancer has not been fully understood, but it is known to be found in cancer cells in a unique "open" structure that allows it to be identified and manipulated.
In order to damage the cytoskeleton of the malignant cell, the research team screened to identify small molecule compounds that degrade the WASp compound in its "open" structural state.
Using a device developed by Professor Yanai Ofran of Bar-Ilan, small molecules were identified in Professor Barda-Saad's lab that actually damage cancer cells without posing much risk to healthy cells.
The study, which has been underway since 2015 with funding from the Israel Innovation Authority, could provide an answer to types of hematological cancers for which no treatment has yet been found.
"The process is long and tedious because it requires a deep understanding of how cells work and how cancer cells differ from normal cells. In this research, we have used the vast knowledge we have gained to design a strategy that can be put into practice," Barda-Saad said.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
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